The Public Administration allocates hundreds of millions of euros a year to bullfighting, which has one of the lowest VAT rates, 10%, unlike pet veterinarians, who charge 21% VAT to your customers. It is estimated that each family allocates about 60 or 80 euros a year to the "national holiday" of barbarism with their taxes.
In the 1920s, the bullfighter was part of the artistic world, rubbing shoulders with artists such as Dalí or Picasso. Today, fortunately, the people's mentality is evolving and more and more people advocate for the abolition of bullfighting and other uses of bulls and cows.
If you also believe that this wild form of "art" should end, in this article on our site we present several reasons to ban bullfightingin a list of arguments against bullfighting.
Historical context: Spain is not interested in protecting animals
The roots of the protectionist movement are to be found in the Protestant Reformation begun in the 16th century by Martin Luther. Spain is a traditionally Catholic country, little influenced by those movements.
For four centuries, Spain was isolated or at war with the rest of the European countries. Everything focused on the American territories but, having lost its last colonies, it withdrew and did not participate in either of the two world wars, isolating itself. As a consequence of this isolation, almost no Spaniards spoke any foreign languages, the society was closed to foreign influence and few knew about animal protection.
In the second half of the 20th century, Spain was subjected to a dictatorship, which was not conducive to the protection of animals. Parties involving or involving animals that always ended up suffering, was a form of entertainment deeply rooted in popular culture. Not only bulls were used, but also many other animals such as horses, ducks, roosters, goats and turkeys
We must understand that, until relatively recently, Spain was an underdeveloped country, with a high degree of illiteracy. This social context was not appropriate to discuss animal protection.
The current circumstances that surround us are conducive to discussing and debating this topic and, little by little, we are seeing it every day, as there are more and more arguments against bullfighting and other forms of mistreatment.
The bull is not a brave animal
Like all plant and animal species that have been selected by humans, the bull (Bos primigenius taurus) has changed a lot since its closest ancestor, the wild Eurasian aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius), extinct hundreds of years ago due to the end of the ice age and hunting.
The aurochs, as a wild herbivore, was an aggressive animal towards its predators but, after its domestication and selection of new species, his character changed.
The domestic bull is a calm, friendly and non-aggressive animal, as long as it does not feel threatened. There are many studies that show that the bull in a bullring just wants to run away, but when cornered, it attacks.
Negative effects on children
Young people, especially those around nine years old, are more sensitive and flexible when it comes to watching violent scenes. It has been shown that male children, after visualizing these acts, are less sensitive and empathic with pain, creating cold and apathetic people, more likely to commit crimes such as murder or physical or psychological abuse towards other animals, human or otherwise.
It has also been shown that, if the visualization of these scenes occurs after twelve years of age, children who already have a developed education and sensitivity, will have a negative attitude before the acts of abuse. Therefore, animal abuse is not natural in human beings, but learnedAnd that a good socialization of younger people gives rise to people who are more good and aware of their environment.
The bull suffers
You don't need to see a bullfight to understand that the bull is in pain. As a mammal with a developed brain, with nerves specialized in receiving pain, nociceptors, under no circumstances can it be said that this animal does not suffer.
Pain is necessary for life, if we didn't feel pain, we would die. If we do not feel that the fire of a candle is burning our finger, we would lose the finger and, due to the subsequent infection of the wound, we would lose our lives. The animal that does not feel pain extinguishes, because it will not avoid situations that kill its body.
On the other hand, when there is pain, the body releases substances such as adrenaline or endorphins to be able to flee from what causes pain and to be able to calm it, only up to a certain point. If the pain is continued, these substances have no effect. In some studies carried out with the blood of bulls killed in the bullrings, it is shown that the high concentration of adrenaline is due to the extreme pain suffered prior to death. As well as the studies carried out on muscle tissue, which show an acute stress The meat of the bull mistreated in the bullfight turns pale and excessively acid (pH of 5, 4 to 5, 6), not recommended for human consumption.
If bullfighting ends, the species will become extinct
Fake. The "brave bull" is only a variety of Bos taurus, an animal that inhabits almost the entire planet, as well as being considered one of the sacred animals of India. What would disappear is the variety used for bullfighting, but not the species itself. As we said, in its natural state the bull does not show any "bravura", it only defends itself if it is threatened, like any other animal.
Animal abuse
Bullfighting is nothing more than a form of abuse present in our society, naturalized and accepted by many. Our society is evolving, seeing an animal die is no longer art or culture, it is cruel and barbaric mistreatment, typical of a little cultivated being.
Why abandon or kill a cat or dog if it is condemned as a very serious crime and killing a bull in the bullring while hundreds of people see it is not? What economic and political interests are behind all this?
Unfortunately, bullfighting is not the only type of animal abuse. Other examples of animal abuse are those shown in the following video, "practices" against which we should also fight:
